Body and Soul
by laurah2215
Summary: The Cold.


**Body and Soul **

Title: Body and Soul

Author: Laura H

Rating: Teen

Spoilers: The Cold (March 12 2006)

Disclaimer: I do not own, blah, blah, blah.. (the characters, places

or the song)

Genre: Sorta song fic...romance…a `what if'venture.

Author's notes: I love to venture into spoiler fics. This is my own

vanity. This is only my third attempt at Josh and Donna, so be

gentle.

The Santos staffers are gathered around a table at the patio bar,

unwinding from yet another exhausting day on the campaign trail.

Sipping her drink slowly, Donna's mind is reeling with the events of

the day-rather, the emotions she is experiences thanks to the

awkward, yet pleasant moments she had shared with Josh. She can't

help but wonder where their relationship is going, and wonder if

jumping head first into this will unravel everything she has fought

so hard to accomplish for herself over the last year, namely,

individuating herself from Joshua Lyman. Silently, Donna admonishes

herself for thinking too deeply, after all, Josh had probably only

kissed her in the heat of the celebratory moment. Any feelings

beyond-friendship(if they had so existed) had surely dissipated when

she had walked out on him and began working for his rival. Glancing

around at the (somewhat) pathetic-looking group of young and middle-

age staffers surrounding her, Donna is plagued with the ever-present

unsettling feeling that life is too short to miss an opportunity.

"So, I think if we continue to put money into…" Bram is speaking,

and it's not that he isn't a dynamic speaker, but Donna's focus is

elsewhere.

Donna reaches into her handbag and retrieves her hotel key and an

envelope with her room number on it. Inconspicuously she slides the

key into the envelope and hides it in her hand.

She wouldn't have missed his laughter if he had have been three

blocks away. Josh enters the room, his presence dominating. He takes

a seat across from Donna, a couple of seats away, and easily joins

in the conversation that Bram, Ronna and Edie are having about Bram

dating a volunteer.

"She is not fourteen!" Bram protests, desperately trying to defend

his actions to the two women.

"When Donna joined the Bartlet campaign, some people thought she was

too young and pretty to be good at anything but photocopying. You

sure proved everybody wrong, didn't you?" Josh flashes her a dimpled

grin. It's his small way of telling her that he's proud of how far

she's come, her accomplishments.

Rolling her eyes, Donna resists the urge to over analyze Josh's

comment. "It only took me eight years, but yes, I think you're

finally beginning to realize just how valuable I can be."

"Donna, I've always know you're valuable." Josh tells her seriously,

his voice a mere whisper.

The group is smiling at them, but the topic soon shifts to something

more interesting to the whole group.

Donna swallows hard, inhales sharply and extends her arm, very

deliberately showing Josh her hotel key and number. She glances

away, leaving the ball in his court, so to speak.

She stands up and grabs her coat and purse off of the chair. "Well,

I'm heading in for the night everyone. Have a good sleep."

"Night." and " Sleep well." is the standard response she receives

from the Santos staff.

Donna holds her head high and walks into the hall, not looking back

to catch Josh's eye.

My heart is sad and lonely

For you I sigh, for you dear only

Why haven't you seen it

I'm all for you body and soul

I spend my days in longin'

And wondering why it's me you're (ogling)

I tell you I mean it

I'm all for you body and soul

Josh's gaze is locked on Donna's disappearing figure. He is trying

to decipher her mixed messages. Had she just invited him to her

room? Does she want to pick up where they left off this morning?

Does she want to discuss the state of their relationship? Why is he

still sitting here? He slowly reaches out to take the key.

"Oh, Donna forgot her key." Ronna announces suddenly, loud enough

for everyone to hear. And then, everyone is staring down at the

table at Ronna's hand and Josh's outstretched hand.

"No, it's alright, I've got it." Josh assures her, trying to act

nonchalant.

"I'm going in anyway, I'll take it to her." Edie snatches the key

off of the table and is gone before Josh can blink, let alone

protest.

Edie rushes up to Donna in the hall and stops her. " Hey, Donna, you

forgot your key." She points back to the table where the proffered

object had been abandoned.

Donna immediately glances back to the table with the Santos

staffers. Her face is a mixture of hurt and confusion. Doesn't Josh

want to be with her?

I can't believe it

It's hard to conceive it

That you turn away romance

Are you pretending

It looks like the ending

And less I could have one more chance to prove, dear

My life a wreck you're making

You know I'm yours for just the taking

I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul

My life a wreck you're making

You know I'm yours for just the taking

I would gladly surrender myself to you body and soul

Josh, with a sad and resigned expression, tries to convey to her the

situation. Realizing he will need to use words, he bolts out of his

seat with only a quick goodbye to his staff. However, when he makes

it to the hall, Donna is already in an elevator, the door closing in

front of her.

"Donna, wait!" Josh calls out breathlessly, rushing to catch her.

Donna sticks her hand in the door to stop its closure. " I'm a big

girl, Josh. You don't have to justify anything. Good night." She

presses the `close' button in the elevator.

Josh throws his foot in between the closing elevator doors "No,

Donna, I…"

"If you don't mind, I'm really tired and I just want to get a

relatively good night's sleep." Her face is a combination of

weariness and resignation. She decides she has given up on Josh,

fate, God, anyone and anything that could have salvaged her

relationship with Josh and given her everything she's longed for all

these years.

"Donna," Josh exhales. "I tried to take the key; Edie grabbed it

instead."

"You mean you wanted the key? You wanted to…come to my room?"

Suddenly, she feels like a teenager inviting her first boyfriend

over when her parents aren't home. She isn't sure how to vocalize

her feelings.

Hishesitant, desperate expressions turns to one of relief and

happiness. " Of course!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Donna challenges, pressing

the `open' button and allowing Josh access to the elevator.

"I've been distracted all day." Josh admits, his eyes roaming over

Donna's body.

"Me, too." Donna nibbles nervously at her bottom lip.

"So, about that kiss this morning..." Josh runs a hand through his

mess of curly dark hair.

"I told you, don't worry about." Donna waves it off, although

reluctantly.

Josh closes the physical distance between himself and Donna, taking

her hand in his. "Okay, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume

that's just eight years of repeated misdirection, avoidance,

repression…whatever. Donna, I don't want to forget it. I know I was

probably overly excited this morning, and maybe it was inappropriate

and it could potentially hurt the campaign…"

"Josh, eight years…any chance you can hurry this up?" She giggles

slightly, resisting the urge to just reach out and kiss him right

there in the elevator as tey wait for lift to arrive on her floor.

"I'm trying to say," He takes a deep, preparatory breath and looks

directly into Donna's sparkling eyes. "I've missed you so much. And,

I want you so much. And, I need you…more than you'll ever know."

Donna's eyes waver as she processes what Josh is stumbling to

vocalize. She cannot think of a response that will do it justice, so

she holds onto his forearms and leans forward for their second kiss.

"Mmm...not here." Josh breaks off, although reluctantly.

"Excuse me?" Donna jumps away, just as the door of the elevators

slide open.

Josh smiles dazzlingly. " Our kiss this morning…we didn't do that

right. I mean I…I didn't do that right. I'm determined to take you

in my arms, in the privacy of a closed-off room, and show you how

much you mean to me."

"Jooosh, I've waited eight years! Who the hell cares where we kiss?"

Donna protests, as she leads him down the brightly lit corridor

toward her room.

"Donna, if you're just trying to get me into bed and treat me like

any regular old gomer, you've got another thing coming. We've got to

have patience, I promise it'll be worth waiting five more minutes

for." His dimples are out in full force as he is pulled by the

collar into Donna's room.

Donna slams the door shut with her foot. If Josh wants this done

properly, thoroughly, and with all the pomp and circumstance, she

will give him exactly that.

The End


End file.
